A Date With the Snakes
by anonauthor12
Summary: A date at the zoo brought back memories for Betty


"Sorry Arch. But i don't think i'll be joining you guys. Send my regards to the others for me? I gotta go. Bye".

Betty sighed. Archie had been trying to get her to visit Riverdale for the millionth time in the past five years, but each of them were fruitless. Veronica and Kevin, heck even Cheryl tried too but all were for nothing. No matter what they say, she would always found excuses.

This time, Archie called telling her he had bought her flight ticket. Josie's birthday was coming, and she decided it would be nice to do a small concert where her career started. All her inner circles -Betty included, was given an email inviting them to the after after party. It'll be the perfect opportunity to catch up, she quoted. If she were to be honest, she was quite ecstatic when she first received the email. How could she not? A night to be spent with her closest friend, reminiscing old stories, she would LOVE to be there. But then, she remembered who else might be there. Him. Jughead Jones. Sure, she moved on from him, he too from her, but what could guarantee that the feeling would not resurface if she were to see him. So, playing safe it was, she turned down the invitation, much to her friends' dismay, though they kind of expected it.

Now, two days before the gathering, a day before the flight scheduled by Archie -which she turned down, thank you very much, Betty Cooper stood by the full length mirror, trying on a few outfits for the day's lunch date. Her date, Mark would pick her up in an hour yet she still could not decide what to wear. She would call Veronica for help, but the now Mrs. Andrews were probably on her way to Riverdale and she would not pick up calls. Mark had said to wear something casual, easy to walk in and suitable for the sun outside. It'll be an outdoor date, that she was sure. Betty sifted through the closet. Clothes from all range of colors, from pastel to bright, filled it. Since began working, Betty had began to transition from her usual pastel princess style to more bright daring adult. Colors like red and royal blue were more likely to be seen on her than pastel pink. Without noticing, she had wasted another half hour thinking about cloth and now she only got half an hour to actually get ready.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked.

Mark just smiled. "Its a secret. I'm sure you'll love it".

From the passenger seat, Betty read the signboards by the road. If she were to guess, they were heading to the zoo. But that couldn't be it, right? Why would she love having lunch at the zoo? _Guess i should just trust hi_ _m._ And she guessed right, it was the zoo they were heading to. More accurately, it was a snake-themed restaurant at the zoo. Betty had read online that a new restaurant just opened at the zoo and she was thinking to check it out one day, she was just shocked that they chose snakes as their theme. _Whats wrong with it? They were amazing creatures after all. So fierce yet graceful, even soft at times._

Though the food was nowhere near bad -it was delicious, to be exact- all Betty coukd taste was bland. The last time she was surrounded by this much serpents was like what.. years ago? Now, seating in this restaurant, eating food shaped like snakes, uncomfortable was an understatement. She did her best to hide it, though and thankfully, Mark did not suspect a thing. However, after a while, Betty found herself liking the resaturant after all. She enjoyed the food, the company and the designs. Sitting among snakes brought a sense of familiarity to her. A warmth she had not felt for a long time. They finished their food in silence and went to walk around the zoo afterwards.

Sure, walking around the zoo was nice and all, but Betty still had no idea why would he brought her here. As to answer the unspoken question, Mark spoke up, "Figured you would love to try the snake-themed restaurant. You used to spend a lot of time here at the zoo. Especially near the snakes. In fact, that was where i first saw you".

Betty turned to face him. "But i thought..."

He shook his head. "Yes, we talked for the first time that day at the park but the first time i laid my eyes on you was actually a year before. I kept thinking about you since then and it was a miracle that you ran over me at the park." She smiled remembering that day. She was jogging at the park that day to get her minds of thing -of someone in particular, when she ran into someone, causing both of them to fall on their behinds. After the usual awkward sorry exchanges, they warmed up to each other. He was good looking and good mannered too, causing Betty to take an immediate liking to him. A few meet-ups later, they kissed for the first time. And Betty was glad for him, because she was able to stop thinking about the serpent when she was with him. She truly thought she finally moved on for good.

"You're really fond of them, aren't you?"

Betty raised an eyebrow, confused.

"The snakes. You like them, don't you?"

Betty smiled. Without noticing, they had stopped by the snakes cage where the thick glass were what separated them from the outside world. Mindlessly, she was tracing them through the transparent barrier. "I guess," she sighed. "I always had a soft spot for a serpent."

Since she 'moved on', Betty had tucked away all her memories regarding a certain biker gang all the way back in her mind. For all its worth, doing so helped her to live her daily life, without the face of certain someone to distract her. But looking at the snakes in the glass container as they seemed to be attracted to her -they were all looking directly at her and some began slithering towards her, caused the memories to resurface.

"You know what i like the most about them?"

This time it was Mark who raised an eyebrow.

"Their attitude. They're fierce but loves with all their heart. They will stop at nothing when it comes to protecting their loved ones." Taking his silence as a sign to go on, she continued. "They move with such grace and agility, like a beautiful dancer, but they attack with strength, one befitting a warrior.

And though they were thought to be solitary, they actually work pretty well in a pack," she finished. _Especially when they were under a great leader. A great king. The serpent king._ She said nothing after that, so did he. They simply watch the slithering creature, admiring its beauty.

That night, she dialled Archie. "Is your plane ticket offer still available?"

 _Riverdale, your serpent queen is coming back!_

 **Hello. Thanks for giving my oneshot a shot. Get it ;) one shot a shot hahahahha okbye.** **So this past days ive been binge watching riverdale season 1 and 2 and IT WAS AMAZING AND IM TOTALLY ADDICTED TO IT AND DEFINITELY HYPED UP FOR SEASON 3 WHICH WILL BE COMING OUT THIS OCTOBER.**


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